A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems Second Edition
Hardcover, 840 pages
English language
Published Oct. 18, 2008 by Wiley Technology Pub..
The world has changed radically since the first edition of this book was published in 2001. Spammers, virus writers, phishermen, money launderers, and spies now trade busily with each other in a lively online criminal economy and as they specialize, they get better. In this indispensable, fully updated guide, Ross Anderson reveals how to build systems that stay dependable whether faced with error or malice. Here's straight talk on critical topics such as technical engineering basics, types of attack, specialized protection mechanisms, security psychology, policy, and more.
The point of this book is that information security is everywhere. Infosec plays a huge role in:
a friend or foe identification system on an aircraft,
a tachograph in trucks,
a prepaid card meter for electricity,
and so on (hundreds of examples)
It's not an easy read. It's very impressive but boring at times. Anyway, I'm glad it raised my awareness about the subject.
If there are any technical books that are page-turners, this is one of them.
Page after page of real world security and engineering issues. Lucidly explained and illustrated.
The sections on nuclear reactor design and smart cards are very illuminating.
If you've ever wondered why good engineering is expensive, this is the one to explain it.
I wish I could write as clearly as Anderson.
